New Delhi: Spain will take on Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on Sunday night, July 19. Both
teams have topped their respective groups, with the defending champions winning all three of their group games. They are heading into the final after a thrilling knockout stage.
Argentina secured extra-time wins against Cape Verde in the Round of 32 and Switzerland in the quarterfinals. They also came from a 0-2 deficit to defeat Egypt 3-2 in the Round of 16 before making a comeback from 0-1 down to knock out England with a dramatic 2-1 victory in the semifinal.
Spain, on the other hand, looked in complete control throughout the knockout stages and qualified for their second-ever World Cup final. La Roja hammered Austria 3-0 before producing narrow 1-0 victories against Portugal and Belgium. Spain then eased past one of the tournament’s favourites, France, in the semi-final.
Argentina will be aiming to become only the third nation in history to successfully defend their World Cup title, after Brazil (1958 and 1962) and Italy (1934 and 1938). The clash between the two teams will be the first World Cup final between the current champions of Europe and South America.
What happened last time Spain faced Argentina at FIFA World Cup?
Spain and Argentina first met in the 1966 FIFA World Cup, with La Roja travelling to England for the global tournament as reigning European champions. However, they got off to a disappointing start in the tournament, suffering a defeat to Argentina in their second group match.
Luis Artime scored a brace for Argentina before Jose Pirri netted one back for Spain, but La Albiceleste held on for a 2-1 victory at Villa Park in Birmingham.
The result proved decisive for Argentina, who qualified for the quarterfinals before eventually suffering a defeat against the hosts England, while Spain were knocked out in the group stage after winning just one of their three matches.
